Wabaseemoong fighting for new school to replace 34 year old structure
From http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com./story.php?id=254733
National Chief appalled by conditions at Whitedog school
By Mike Aiken - Miner and News - September 15, 2006
National Chief Phil Fontaine blasted the federal government for its inaction Thursday during a visit to Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) First Nation.
With up to 20 students using the front room of a teacher’s residence for a classroom, delays at Wabaseemoong School are shameful, Fontaine said.
“It’s a terrible situation. I’m absolutely appalled,” he said, during a tour of the facility.
Fontaine was looking around at the unfinished floor and makeshift table, which doubled for desks in the temporary setting.
“The students must be simply outstanding to be where they are and the government should be ashamed, simply ashamed,” he said.
Overcrowding at the 34 year-old building has caused up to 60 teenagers to turn their backs on their education, said vice-principal Gaye McDonald.
“They say ‘We’re not going to get the attention we need.’ So they don’t come back,” she said.
Draft designs and proposals have been flying back and forth for years between band council and the federal government. At one point, the community thought they had approval for a plan to have construction completed on the project by 2007.
However, the latest word from Indian and Northern Affairs suggests they may not even start construction on the $18-million building until next year.
“We don’t need another study to figure out what needs to be done,” said principal Orvil Traverse, who presented a list of defects to the national chief.
Teachers have already lost their staff room and prep time.
Shops for technical trades and home economics have also been taken over, and the warped floorboards in the gym leave the future of intramural sports in doubt.
Flooding started last Christmas, after the heating system failed and the pipes burst. Parts for the furnace have to be machined, because they’re so old, and administrators are always afraid of more damage due to freezing during the winter months.
The crumbling wall has been braced by wooden trusses, which make elementary classrooms look more like construction sites.
Maintenance staff have also reported sparks coming from the electrical panel, due to heaving as the foundation shifts and settles on its clay base.
Student council president Mauricio Diaz admitted the conditions are a distraction. Due to overcrowding, not all students have access to seats or desks.
Donations of books to the library remain in boxes, because there isn’t enough room to put them on shelves. The resource centre has also been remodelled into a classroom.
“All of these issues which I’ve discussed are seriously affecting our learning every single day,” said Diaz, during his speech for the national chief.
Treaty 3 Grand Chief Arnold Gardner joined Fontaine on his trip to Whitedog, and they both pledged to take the students’ message to Ottawa where they hoped to convince the Minister of Indian Affairs changes are urgently needed.
The chairman of Abinoojii Ojibway Child and Family Services, Isaac Mandamin, added the community had another 200 children in care, and they would have trouble fitting into the school if they were able to return to their First Nation.
School staff note 70 per cent of their 300 students are under the age of 11, and current conditions don’t allow them to pursue plans for adult education courses.